A New Move From Ben Hart

Every time we see well-known magicians experimenting with styles we don’t expect, it instantly grabs our attention.

That’s precisely the case with Ben Hart, one of the busiest and most original British stage magicians, who is bringing a close-up magic show to the Adelaide Fringe, running from February 21st to March 23rd.

Exploring different areas of magic is not just a sign that a performer wants to keep things fresh—it’s also an exciting opportunity for magicians to see how someone with a different perspective approaches the craft.

It allows us to witness what they bring to the table and how their experience in one discipline informs their take on another.

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Hart’s newest show, Ben Hart: Up Close, will not appear anywhere else in the world. The Adelaide Fringe is the only place to experience this intimate performance before Hart returns to his stage magic format.

Before discussing this show's contents, let’s take a step back and connect the dots about who Ben Hart is.

He wrote and starred in Killer Magic on BBC Three and was a finalist on Got Talent in 2019. He has created magic for theatre and television, and Ben Hart taught magic to Tom Cruise, Rami Malek, and Russell Crowe, to name a few.

Each year, Hart writes and performs a new stage show, debuting it at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival before touring it and attending more fringe festivals. Some of his most acclaimed productions include Wonder and Jadoo. He also authored The Darkest Corners, a book for magicians that received rave reviews.

Now, Hart is presenting his magic in a close-up setting.

He explains that this shift stems from his desire to perform in a more intimate environment—one where it isn't just the audience reacting to him but where he can also respond to them.

The venue in Australia has a 200-seat capacity. Although this isn’t the size we’d typically associate with "close-up" magic, the audience will be seated in only two rows, as the seating surrounds the stage.

This means each audience member has, at most, one person between them and the performer. Hart also employed a surrounding seating arrangement in his stage show Jadoo.

Another key detail is that this show is exclusive to Adelaide. From a business perspective, staging a smaller, close-up performance means fewer tickets are sold than a large-scale stage show, making it financially impractical to tour.

After an in-depth discussion about his show and creative process, we uncovered some intriguing insights into Hart’s approach to close-up magic and magic as a whole.

To start, he challenges the conventional distinction between close-up and stage magic:

He points out that close-up magicians often focus too much on techniques, unintentionally making their performances more challenging than necessary.

His experience as a stage performer has made him keenly aware of the importance of a "powerful enough story"—one that not only supports the show but also makes it work and profoundly connects with the audience.

For Hart, a strong plot is essential. This doesn’t necessarily mean weaving an elaborate narrative into every routine—it can be as simple as adding a few well-placed words or incorporating moments of conflict within a trick.

Beyond the mechanics of the magic itself, Hart emphasizes the importance of crafting the overall experience. This means opening a world for the audience—using props, lighting, and sound to create an atmosphere that invites them in.

He elaborates:

Hart also addresses the unique obsession magicians have with methods.

In most other performance arts, what magicians call “methods” would be considered movements, props, lighting, costumes, or acting choices. Every element contributes to the overall experience the audience perceives.

Hart elaborates that if we ask people what magic is, most of them won’t think of tricks; instead, they associate magic with emotions and feelings. To create that feeling, magicians can rely on many factors beyond just the tricks themselves.

One keyword Hart repeats is "conviction"—that’s what transforms someone who merely performs tricks into a true magician. 

To wrap up, we asked Hart for three practical tips that magicians can use to improve their performances. Here’s what he shared:

Be a good host. If somebody comes over to your house, you’ll encourage them to treat your home like it’s theirs. You can have that kind of generous spirit in your magic. Break down the barriers between the props and the audience. This extends to how you treat the audience when they come on stage: the way to do that is to be truly generous.

Use bold methods. A powerful and engaging prop allows you to use bold methods. And bold methods will fool an audience deeply—especially if other magicians are watching your work.

Maintain momentum. Quoting Hart,